August was a little quiet in terms of traffic numbers and vacations, but there were some really great posts you may have missed during vacation. I know I did. So here are the top posts based on social signals via eLearning Learningfor August 2010.

Here is a list I compiled of things I think should NOT be done when designing e-learning courses. believe the following are counter to adult learning theory, sound e-learning design and they just down-right irk me. They are not in any particular order. Don’t: Turn off navigation until a screen’s audio is done. Force navigation.

I was recently asked me about my recommendations for conducting effective online conferences (virtual conference). They had attended the LearnTrends free online conference. This conference has been run for a few years now and is tentatively scheduled for November 15-17 this year. Assign people into roles. Technical Issues. Inject fun into the event.

An Avatar in a Virtual Immersive Environment is a rendering of a computer user as an interface technique. Instead of moving around a computer interface as a mouse, one moves around as an anthropomorphic figure. 1) An experience as an avatar can change a person's real life perceptions. This as reported by Fox and Bailenson (2009).

I recently read a blog post by Janet Clarey highlighting the need to go back to the basics. These 'basics' are different for everyone. But like all subjects and bodies of knowledge, there are a few foundational concepts that have been identified and acknowledged as such. My list of top 10 resources on Instructional Design - basics and more : 1.

What does it take to be an expert? It’s a good question for people involved in learning and development. After all, one aspect of our job is to create an environment, and deliver interventions, that helps to improve the performance of novices and experts alike. So we should know. 1] How often? Blah, blah, blah, experts … so what?

Discussion of objectives in training could be a topic for a book all by itself, but lately I’ve run across 2 excellent examples of problems with learning/performance objectives. They provide a good basis for looking at just a couple of common problems.

To wrap up this series of posts on the E-Learning Curve Blog, here is the complete table of links to each post in the series 'Evaluating Non-Formal Learning.' Evaluating Non-Formal Learning Programs – Table of Links is a post from: E-Learning Curve Blog.

Amit Garg begin_of_the_skype_highlightingend_of_the_skype_highlighting has posted a nice list of 22 essential books for beginning instructional designers. Which reminded me of an old post of mine from 2008: Essential Reading for Instructional Design. Lots of books to read, so get to work, you! Photo credit: bookworm by Oo_Dee_oO.

As long as it’s Saturday, I wanted to pause for a moment to explore / share a couple of interesting posts from this week’s social media landscape that I think signal some interesting shifts in awareness of our unusual situation as educators. The point is well taken. Clark appears to have taken the standard Mayer et. Notably, Mr.

I've had a number of discussions today about what really matters when it comes to the design of effective learning content. What has emerged, at least from my point of view, is a greater clarity about the considerations that drive decision making in both design and development.It How relevant is this to the target population?

Jane Hart begin_of_the_skype_highlightingend_of_the_skype_highlighting posted a tongue-in-cheek video by Ron Desi of 10 reasons why you should not have social media in the organization, and is collecting rebuttals. But first, the rebuttal: 10. Social media is a fad. Communication has been at the core of being human since before the campfire. Was the computer a fad? The internet a fad? Busted.

Designers often overload learners with information, hurting learning and learner motivation, and thereby undercutting the very thing we say we want to accomplish. designer can avoid this by understanding cognitive load theory and memory; in particular, the concepts of working memory and long term memory.

Anyone who blogs regularly will have discovered several truths. The first is that you are only as good as your last post. Many people struggle to maintain a regular blog that is consistently good, or at least meaningful. The blank page and writer's block are familar companions to all authors. But there is a contradiction here. Unported License.

Last week, I announced an upcoming conference in Banff on Learning Analytics ( call for papers can be found here). We have also set up a Google Group for discussions about learning analytics and the conference. What are Learning Analytics? What does this look like? This data happily sits in a database, waiting for some type of analysis.

Tweet Co-author: Thierry deBaillon – @tdebaillon. Simplicity and the Enterprise. Most companies start simple, with a few people gathering together around an idea. For small companies, decision-making, task assignments and direct interaction with clients are rather straightforward. With growth, the simplicity ends. concepts and practices.

Jane Hart begin_of_the_skype_highlightingend_of_the_skype_highlighting is spearheading an effort to collect information on why you should NOT ban social media in your organization. Below, my rebuttals to the reasons most commonly given by organizations to keep social media out. Social media is a fad. The genie is out and he's not getting back in the bottle. It's about controlling the message. Just ask BP.

I have run in to this problem a few times lately and some clients have recently asked the question too: "How can I get my Captivate project to play faster? It seems to take forever to start as it has to completely download before it begins." Schnicker.

As Chief Learning Architect at Business Critical Learning, David Glow works with clients to identify key drivers for their company’s success and align performance solutions to optimize results in those areas.

Think in terms of m-learning in 2010. Potential vs. what is actually happening. What is happening RIGHT NOW as in, “I’m doing it&# and not just “planning on doing it&# or “hoping I’ll be able to do it.&#. This comic reminded me of a talk E-Learning is what? She talked about what IS actually happening in e-learning vs.

I totally borrowed this from TechCrunch! But I just couldn't title it any better than they did. hear about social media burn-out a lot and I just don't understand it.personally. Read the Techcrunch post here. Not only that, but anyone can CHOOSE to engage with me and my thought or experience. This is the most amazing thing EVER! Good times!

I wanted to follow-up 19 Tips for Effective Online Conferences with some additional resources that relate to this topic. primarily used the eLearning Learning and Communities and Networks sites and used Conference , Online Facilitation of Conferences , Online Interaction in Conferences , Moderating Online Interaction , and others. It’s a guess why.

Here are 4 software products that allow you to add an avatar to your elearning courses. Avatars can be an important and meaningful addition to your elearning. Aiding in such things as increasing positive learner attitudes and providing a social role model for interactions. Check out some examples of NOAH in action. Check out demos of Vcom3D here.

Luckily for me the combination of procrastination and serendipity resulted in a wonderful, unexpected answer to a question that has been on my mind lately. Currently I am dabbling with the idea of a PhD. Although my mind keeps telling me to go for it, it also tells me to keep in mind to make a difference and not to accept 'a regular one'.

I was recently involved in a discussion about 21st Century learning skills in one of the LinkedIn Groups. It got me thinking about a piece I’d written for TrainingZone a few months ago titled “What does your ideal L&D team look like in 2010?”. ve posted that article here, with some changes and updates. So, what’s changed? There are other ways.

In their book “ Digital Habitats “, Etienne Wenger, Nancy White begin_of_the_skype_highlightingend_of_the_skype_highlighting and John Smith bring forward a model of three dimensions of a community of practice. I’ve found these dimensions very usefull in consulting about communities, exploring its value for the organization. The three dimensions are: Domain. Community. Practice.

The LMS (or Learning Management System) has been around for a while now. They are usually deployed into large organisations who need to be able to deploy lots of learning materials to lots of people, whilst controlling access, and recording use. So, what does the LMS offer to businesses? single repository for learning materials. Related post.

Every year for the last six, I have flown to Seattle to attend Gnomedex , far and away my favorite and most powerful learning event. This year’s Gnomedex, the tenth, is the last of the series, so I thought it appropriate to examine what has made the event so damned good. Gnomedex X. Community. Gnomedexers self-identify as geeks. Facilities. Format.

There are umpteen web resources on Instructional Design, learning and training. However there are very few blogs, networks and websites that give you really useful information. In this post, I would like to list those blogs and websites that provide learning professionals with lot of useful information absolutely free of cost.

I came across this list of training myths on Twitter today (courtesy of Jane Hart begin_of_the_skype_highlightingend_of_the_skype_highlighting - @c4lpt ) and I couldn't help tossing in my two cents. So here are four more enterprise learning myths that need to be busted (feel free to chime in with your own) : Everybody in the ecosystem needs an LMS. Wrong - sort of. It's a matter of perspective. To do what?

As social learning continues to grow, LMS/LCMS vendors are taking various approaches. While some view themselves as “social learning&# savvy, incorporating various components, others seem to see themselves as just sitting on the sidelines. LMS/LCMS vendors are following one of three approaches when it comes to social learning. Do Nothing.

"Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school." - Albert Einstein "See, here's the thing, though. don't want 99 mind mapping resources, tools, and tips. want one. That works. Really well. " - Stephen Downes CLUELESS? To cut the crap short, and get to the point. just hope you are not one of them. WHAT TO DO?

John Hegel lll and John Seely Brown have written an article titled ‘ Six Fundamental Shifts in the Way We Work ’ on HBR blog. The article summarizes the ideas from their new book – The Power of Pull. However as it turns out we are running ever faster but still losing ground. The World of Warcraft game is a wonderful example of this.

I ran across the great article on Work Memory. This is an interesting topic for eLearning designers because we are typically trying to “cram&# tons of information into someone’s head in less than 30 mins. There are great tips in the article that could help us build better training. Check out Smaller Chunks are Easier to Digest ).

Stories are a fundamental part of our humanity. We share them to inform, enlighten, and entertain because they touch our imaginations AND emotions. Therefore it’s no surprise that storytelling is one of the most powerful teaching techniques in our arsenal. What are the elements of a good story? When do stories enhance training?

"TWU is the only place where you're happy to fail - an awesome program meant to prepare a person for challenges ahead." - - Student Quote A testimonial like that from a student, makes my day. Over the last few months you've heard me make references to the new avatar of ThoughtWorks University (TWU) - our graduate training program.

I care about learning. I spend most of my time helping clients develop great learning strategies. In a perfect world, I could ignore the messy world of performance. But, If learning isn’t pushing towards improved performance on some level, then it’s aimless and has the potential of becoming a navel-gazing exercise. Learn. Don’t.

Jane Hart begin_of_the_skype_highlightingend_of_the_skype_highlighting posted a satirical video – 10 reasons to ban social media the other day. Shortly thereafter, she challenged everyone to come up with 10 reasons NOT to ban social media. Of course I can never just follow the rules, so here is my contribution with a twist. am doing social media full-time as my job with Education Services at EMC.

Project Draw is a browser-based diagraming utility that lets you draw to your hearts content, without the need for plugins of any kind. You can import a DWF file or image. You can export the file as a DWF, PDF or graphic. Check it out: [link] Instructional video: [link

By Shelley A. Gable. Though eLearning isn’t new to the training field anymore, it’s still relatively new to many organizations. And once those organizations buy into the benefits of eLearning, many are tempted to run and dive into the deep end of the pool as quickly as possible. The result? Just be sure to make informed decisions along the way.

The Learning Space at companies large and small is often caught between the fence posts of IT and HR. Sometimes, it's a vortex. Regardless, I've come up with five personal opinions (without links to the thoughts or research of others) why I believe IT and HR could merge in spite of any learning function's prowess. Capital Spend. Capital Spend.

Published August 2010. Jay Cross begin_of_the_skype_highlightingend_of_the_skype_highlighting is CEO of Internet Time Group and a thought leader in informal learning and organizational performance. He can be reached at editor@clomedia.com. In his 2001 book Kitchen Confidential , Anthony Bourdain describes how he became a professional chef and how he continues to support the community of professional chefs.

Is KM dead? John Hagel III, John Seely Brown, and Lang Davison , all with Deloitte’s Center for the Edge, argue that passive repositories of organizational information (i.e., Knowledge Management) have failed to advance learning. They write: The best KM systems succeeded at capturing and institutionalizing the knowledge of the firm.

This is a "day in the life" type video snippet of the Social Media Mastermind Roundtable I attend pretty much every Saturday morning. In addition to the snippet above, I also created a testimonials video for this same group. 34; The responses were pretty insightful. 0160;Anyway, I'll post that next. See you there

Jane Hart begin_of_the_skype_highlightingend_of_the_skype_highlighting seeks rebuttal to reasons commonly given by organizations for banning social media at work. have heard some of these. Here’s why I believe organizations should NOT ban social media, rather find ways to leverage it. Some of these are in the Indian context of hiring and retaining workforce. Social media is a fad. Employees will goof off.

I will be attending my second ASAE Annual Meeting which takes places August 21 – 24, in LA. Last year’s Annual was held in Toronto. am especially looking forward to this year’s event because it looks like there are a few surprises in store. Associations can create communitites of practice. According to Wikipedia here is the definition.

So what will you get if you put all your classroom materials in the blender and hit go? right ol mess! It’s been a busy week (with non stop rain in Amsterdam and a terrible cold!) one of the things on my plate this week was to review a proposed ‘blended’ learning module. How do I blend?

by AJ George. 0160; Over the past few weeks we've covered whether you should use static or dynamic images, what kinds of static images promote learning, image resources, and easy image manipulation for those images that are good, but just not quite right. What if you're not skilled enough to draw your own images? Take the people above.

Michael Feldstein has written a thought-provoking post on Xplana.com which "provides direct-to-student productivity tools that enhance the student learning experience". Xplana The economic climate and availability of access.

In this day and age, we see videos played out to introduce learners to the learning objectives of the course, to show them a simulated problem-solving scenario that they can identify with, or even to relate previous learner experience. Video scripts are no exception. For example: Subject A: “Hey, did you and Toni go to the cinema last night?

I missed the recent offering of this Webinar from Brandon Hall Research (and I suspect that it will cover their online database that allows subscribers to compare systems), but it might be exactly the information and resource you need if you’re in the hunt for a new LMS. The next session is scheduled for September 15, 2-3 p.m. Eastern Time.

Stickylearning got stuck! If you've been reading my blog since it began early two years ago you will know that I like to read. like to challenge how I think about things, books and blogs are a couple of ways I get new ideas to think about. The answer (I think) is to not say too much! The Black Swan. How extraordinary!" good example is cited by NNT.

What do you think the typical manager might say if you told them their employees don't gossip and engage one another in non-work related tasks enough? Most managers have heard of the watercooler effect without ever having the meaning of the concept sink in to their understanding of how it relates to performance and collaboration. elearning 2.0

I'm in the business of teacher education, and I am interested in using the latest technologies to support their learning. few years ago, I began to use wikis as embedded module tools to encourage and support collaborative learning. So I wrote about it. The final article in the series was published yesterday in a new volume edited by Mark W.

I’ve posted a few thoughts on AU’s Landing about how I manage information. specifically use the term information instead of knowledge. Our encounter with information is one of sensemaking and wayfinding. We encounter a continual flow of information – most of it will never become “knowledge&#.

Tweet. Robert Kelley, in How to be a Star at Work , describes how tacit, or implicit, knowledge has come to dominate the knowledge economy: What percentage of the knowledge you need to do your job is stored in your own mind? Do you know how much you don’t know? They need to be social.

“I need training.”. Don’t get me wrong, I dearly love to hear those words when I pick up the phone, because it means that I might get the chance to help someone and work on a new exciting project. The problem, of course, is that a pretty significant percentage of the time that declaration is just not quite…true. It’s communication. Training.

Had a great time last week in Indianapolis presenting to the Central Indiana ASTD chapter. David and I met some nice people and got to do some research to support a recent blog post. we also discovered that Indianapolis has two airport terminals. One is new and looks great. The other one is shuttered with grass overtaking the parking lot.

by Rich Mesch. first started talking to businesses about using games to improve performance way back in 1985. Back then, I was working mostly with mid-level and senior mangers, so talking about games required hushed tones and euphemisms. After all, busy important managers couldn’t spend time playing games. They had big, big decisions to make.

The best way to introduce this new game-changing feature might be to tell a story. Imagine that you’re a salesperson selling a brand new product. With new sales materials in hand and dozens of workshop hours, you’re finally ready to make your first sales call. You promise to follow-up and leave for home. We call it The Q&A Engine.